Kipp,

It is off-thread, enough is enough.

Cornflower you obviously do not live in the real world, BTW the Earth it is not flat! Its Round!!

Kipp, for one thing it is rather presumptuous of you to claim knowledge of my life experiences.

Secondly, had Storer gone the anti discrimination road, and had the board found in his favour, (which is more than likely), OLO would have been fined.

This would have been a salutary lesson for all online comments and forums hosts,including those who don't carry advertising and so can't be attacked that way.

The bar for commentary would certainly have been raised across the board, because nobody wants to be hauled before the anti discrimination people, and made a public example of in these matters, therefore a stand would have been usefully and legally made against vilification and abuse.

As it is, Storer's actions have affected only ONE publication, will be forgotten next week by anyone other than those immediately affected, and the result is a passing notoriety for Storer, and no enforced change at all in the blogosphere.

Most of the places where offenses occur don't carry advertising, or don't carry the kind that is supportive of gay rights. So this method of dealing with it is entirely useless.

If you really want to make a change then you have to take the most effective action available to you. That's why we have anti discrimination legislation.

I also want to point out that I'm a vocal and unrelenting supporter of gay rights, and have written on these lines in this publication.

I've copped a fair bit of abuse for doing this.

While i haven't had my head kicked in for being gay, I have endured intolerable suffering in areas of my life. People don't have to endure exactly the same suffering to know what suffering is.

I think trying to create a hierarchy of suffering, that is, my kind is worse than your kind, is a fairly pointless thing to do. Hopefully, if we remain intact enough, people who suffer can use that experience to care about suffering across the board, instead of getting into some kind of competition about whose was worse than whose.

What I object to about Storey's actions is that he was concerned only about one kind of injustice, while OLO is a voice for many. Addressing that injustice through the specific legal avenues created for it, would not lead to the unjust silencing of other injustices people write about on this site.

Well said Briar Rose.

People know when they have been discriminated against, bullied or marginalised; one doesn't have to be gay, female, male, black or white to know the feelings of impotence when one is deliberately silenced for simply having a different point of view.

Difference of opinion can be presented civilly and does not the warrant punishment meted out by some who have the power to indulge themselves in their prejudices.

No respect for those who misuse power.

Shintaro, check this outhttp://sxnews.gaynewsnetwork.com.au/news/scare-tactics-008393.html

One of your haiku has been taken out of context and is described as advocating the murder of gays.

Someone in the comments has defended you.